


I'm crawling on your shores

by palateens



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: F/F, Polyamory, Summer Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, being Coloradan is queer culture, mentions of food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:52:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palateens/pseuds/palateens
Summary: She thinks this is her favorite part of Caitlin and Chris visiting, getting quiet moments with her girlfriend.ORThe one where Farmer and Foxtrot get a day (and the mountains) to themselves.





	I'm crawling on your shores

Jessica Ford stirs from her slumber, the smell of eggs and chorizo pulling her away from her dreams. She gently rubs her eyes as she yawns. She reaches for the other side of her queen sized bed. It’s empty. 

She shuffles out of bed, putting on her fox slippers before trudging upstairs to the kitchen. Her eyes are still mostly shut as she slides onto a barstool at the breakfast nook. She rests her chin in her hands. 

“Morning,” Caitlin says cheerfully from the stove. 

Jess cracks her left eye open, grinning tiredly.  “Hey, did Chris leave already?”

“Yea, the coaches wanted him to come in early to do drills with some of the vets that are still in town,” Caitlin explains. 

The sound of Caitlin grating a spatula against the pan is oddly soothing. 

Jess hums contentedly. “That’s good right?”

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but...I think so,” she says. “Do you want toast on the side or should I make it a sandwich?” 

“Sandwich.” Jess groans as she stretches in her seat. “I don’t think I can wait for toast. I’m famished.” 

Caitlin chuckles. Not a minute later, she places breakfast in front of Jess, kissing her firmly on the temple. Jess turns her head so they can properly kiss each other. She thinks this is her favorite part of Caitlin and Chris visiting, getting quiet moments with her girlfriend. As much as she loves her metamours, all three, it’s nice to have some time for just the two of them. 

They eat quietly together. Caitlin murmurs some things here and there about her family and looking into grad schools. 

“You’re looking into DU right?” Jess asks. 

Caitlin nods. “And CU. The commute isn’t ideal, but I’d be close enough.” 

“Dex could get a job in Boulder,” Jess says. “Google is always hiring.” 

She chuckles in response. “So we just have to convince Nursey to move here.”

“Colorado isn’t a sea of white people anymore. Plus, microbreweries and legalized pot.” 

Caitlin snorts into a sip of coffee. “Is everyone from here die hard about living here?” 

Jess shakes her head. “No, but most are.” 

“Good,” Caitlin says, leaning across the table to squeeze her hand. “I’m excited.” 

_/.\\_ 

“Where to today?” Caitlin asks Jess once they’re in the car. 

Jess’ car is an old forest green Subaru Outback that she inherited from her mom. She peels out of the driveway, heading toward the road that leads to the I-25 exit. 

“The continental divide,” she answers simply. 

Caitlin balks. “Seriously? That’s amazing.”

“I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend if I couldn’t show you the world.”

“You’re a sap, and I love you.” 

“Uh huh,” Jess says with smirk. “Don’t pretend you didn’t get the reference.”

“I feel very honored that you referenced my favorite Disney movie,” Caitlin says proudly. 

Jess laughs quietly, and Caitlin has to stop herself from reaching over the console to kiss her. 

She’s passionate, intelligent, and hilarious. Jess is a gust of summer wind, kissing everything the light touches with her effervescent joy. She’s fearless in the way that she approaches every problem honestly. She’s selfless in her love, including in how she loves herself. 

Caitlin falls a little more in love with her every day. She thinks they make a good team, supporting each other from bleachers of games or even just in lingering touches before class. It’s nice being able to sleep in Jess’s bed for a change. Normally they end up in Caitlin’s room of the volleyball house or Chris’ bed when he, Dex, and Nursey have their time. It feels nice to occupy a space that’s predominantly for them. 

It takes them a half an hour to drive to the foothills. An alt rock station Jess loves starts to lose signal as they take a tunnel further into the mountains. 

“CDs are in here,” Jess pats the center console. “Pick an album.” 

“Retro much?” Caitlin chirps. 

Jess shrugs. “It isn’t a trip to the mountains if you’re not listening to something classic.”

“Classic how?” 

“See for yourself.” 

Caitlin rolls her eyes, complying as she rifles through Jess’ CD collection. It’s a lot of 90s singer-songwriters and 70s music. But there’s an Of Monsters and Men album that proves her music isn’t completely dated. 

“The XX,” Caitlin hums, impressed. 

“I don’t buy CD’s unless I know I can stand to listen to it at least twelve times.” 

“Why twelve?”

“Long car rides when I’m too lazy to change out the disc,” Jess says as she rolls her window down, letting her arm rest against the car door. 

“Well, that’s why you have me,” Caitlin assures her jokingly, “to save your ears from five hours of Natalie Merchant.”

Jess laughs. “As long as we’re not chirping Macy Gray.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she says as she crosses her heart. 

Jess squints, playfully glaring at her. “You did that on purpose.” 

Caitlin dissolves into laughter. “Swear I didn’t.” 

They settle on Sheryl Crow, but a few songs in Jess asks to change it to Indigo Girls. 

“You know we don’t have to be this queer right?” Caitlin chirps. 

“Indigo Girls are a staple of mountain life,” Jess retorts. “Just like Subarus.” 

“Weren’t they marketed to lesbians in the 90s?”

Jess gapes. “Living in the mountains is really queer ok?” 

“Mountain culture is queer culture?” Caitlin offers. 

“Sporadic weather patterns that leave you two feet of snow one day, sixty degree weather the next is queer culture.” 

“Living a mile above sea level and regularly driving through blizzard conditions is queer culture,” Caitlin adds. “Having a mountain bike that’s more expensive than your car is queer culture. And shopping at farmers’ markets more than malls is definitely queer culture.” 

“Exactly,” Jess says. She beams at Caitlin. “You’re getting the hang of this.” 

This time, Caitlin does lean over to kiss her on the cheek, because there’s nothing more beautiful than Jessica Ford when she smiles. Jess is more vibrant and warm than the sun itself. Her hair is softer than clouds and her nose is the most kissable thing Caitlin’s ever seen. She loves how Jess scrunches it when she’s deep in completion. 

Caitlin rolls her window down. She lets her hand graze the rushing wind. It’s so much brighter out West. She can’t tell if it’s because there’s more sunny days than overcast out here, or if it’s just the proximity to California that makes everything feel better. She isn’t sure she cares to find out. The sun’s rays are marigold and amber. The air is crisp blue, lighter than a baby’s eyes. 

Rows of pine trees chase after them. Jagged mountainsides are tied down by thick nets. Jess explains it’s to prevent rockslides. Clouds lazily roll by overhead. The bass of Jess’ stereo system thrums to the same pace. Caitlin wonders if everything here is just synched to the same all-encompassing rhythm. 

“ All your life you've never seen a woman taken by the wind,” Caitlin sings quietly. 

“Would you stay if she promised to you heaven?” Jess harmonizes perfectly to Stevie Nicks. 

“Will you ever win?” They sing together. 

Caitlin smiles. 

Jess notices. “What?”

“I just really love you,” she says. “You’re amazing.”

Jess blushes. “I love you too.” 

_/.\\_ 

They take a harder trail up to the Continental Divide. Caitlin has to stop at a few points to get used to the change in altitude. But overall they keep a good pace. Jess is happy she got to break out her hiking boots again. It feels like she spends most of the school year stuck indoors. Boston’s winters are long and consistent. 

Jess didn’t think she’d miss living in Colorado until she moved away for two years. She definitely doesn’t miss hanging around the same people she’s known since pre-school. She’s still eternally glad she didn’t go instate for school. But at the same time, she has new people. She has friends, a girlfriend, and three awesome (if not ruckus) metamours. She could see herself moving back here if it meant being with them. 

They stop at a lake for lunch. Enjoy the sun and scenery as other hikers trickle through. Caitlin kisses some mustard off the corner of her mouth. Jess retaliates by putting some peanut butter on Caitlin’s nose. 

“Need more sunblock?” Caitlin asks as she dumps lemonade powder into her water pouch. 

“Yes please,” Jess groans as she hunches over. 

Caitlin rubs sunblock on the back of her neck and down her shoulders. 

“You know that feeling where it’s not like the sun’s actually burning you, but it’s so hot that you feel like you’re on fire?” Jess describes. 

“Yeah,” she says sympathetically. “That’s why I hate beach volleyball.”

“I thought it was because you’re controlling,” Jess chirps. 

Caitlin glares slightly. “It’s hot and hard to move around, and you have to trust one other person with your life.” 

“You poor thing,” Jess says. She cranes her neck back to kiss Caitlin at a better angle. “You’re good at everything, you know that?”

“Not true,” Caitlin argues. “You’re better at rock climbing, photography, being on time—”  

“—Driving” 

Caitlin huffs, trying to suppress a smirk. “Exactly.” 

Jess kisses her again, enjoying the lingering taste of blueberry jelly. “We make a good team.”

She laughs. “Yeah we do.” 

They spend another twenty minutes or so watching the Earth slowly turn underneath them. Jess almost falls asleep on Caitlin’s shoulder. She thinks there’s nothing better than having good people to fall back on at the end of the day. 

She’s lucky she found this athletic dork. 

**Author's Note:**

> fic title - lyrics from Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls


End file.
